Pop superstar Madonna has been given the go-ahead to adopt a Malawian toddler David Banda. However, the 48-year-old Vogue and Holiday singer and her husband Guy Ritchie left Malawi on Friday without the one-year-old as David's immigration papers had not been processed yet. “The baby hasn't gone yet because immigration is still trying to process his passport,” an immigration official said.
Though Madonna has not issued any statements about the adoption, sources said that the application filed by the pop star was approved on Thursday at a Lilongwe court and an interim order was passed by judge Andrew Nyirenda granting Madonna and Ritchie David's custody. As soon as the immigration procedures are over, David can join Madonna in her London home.
The court order bypasses a 40-year-old law that prevents foreigners from adopting Malawian children and taking them out of the country. However, in 1993 the country softened its stance somewhat and agreed to consider 'inter-country adoption' after signing the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
But David's adoption hasn't been finalized yet. According to a high court official Thomson Ligowe, authorities will keep track of how well David adjusts to the UK and how he is treated before a final adoption is granted. “There's going to be a subsequent hearing by the same court to either allow her to adopt the child or not. This also means that she has been put on observer status to see how she will relate to the child, and people from social welfare will have to observe that. The court will depend upon their observations to make a final decision,” he said, adding that the process could take up to two years.
Meanwhile, David's 32-year-old father Yohame Banda met up with the singer last Friday and said he was certain his son would enjoy a better life with her than he could provide. He doesn't know of Madonna's celebrity status. “I'm not aware of Madonna. I don't know her. All I know is that she'll give my son a better life,” he said. Banda added that he liked both Ritchie and Madonna when he met them. “They are a lovely couple. She asked me many questions. She and her husband seem happy with David. I am happy for him. Madonna promised me that as the child grows she will bring him back to visit,” Banda said.
Though Banda's family and friends, most Malawian charities and the orphanage from where David was adopted are happy with the singer's decision, not everyone is sure Madonna's move is a humanitarian one. In fact, many believe that the
Material Girl is just trying to garner publicity as Angelina Jolie climbed the popularity charts after going on an adoption spree.
Scottish Parliament member Karen Gillon said that the move smacked of 'celebrityitis'. “I think it's more about Madonna's needs than the child's. Family is important in Malawi and I think this child belongs with his relatives. Perhaps the money she spends on this child would have been better invested in the whole community. There's something disquieting about walking into an orphanage and being able to pick a child out of the window, as it were,” she said.
Madonna is already the mother of two children – 10-year-old Lourdes and six-year-old son Rocco. David lost his mother Marita to complications that arose after she gave birth to him. Banda's poverty forced him to hand over the baby to the Home of Hope Orphan Care Center where Madonna came in contact with him while visiting AIDS orphans.
